Divaa Uthkarsha,a 17-year-old from Bengaluru, made the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list in the Social Impact category,becoming the youngest honoree this year. She just finished 12th grade at the National Academy for Learning and plans to study industrial engineering in the United States .
Her recognition comes from Project Surya, a non-profit she started at 13 after her younger brother Surya was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. The emotional and financial struggles her family faced pushed her to help others in similar situations . “Watching my family navigate the financial and emotional weight of his diagnosis led me to think about millions of low-income families in India who face the same reality without proper support,” she said.
Before launching the project, Divaa and her parents researched Type 1 diabetes extensively. She pointed out the burden this condition places on families: “Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition requiring daily insulin injections to survive. In India, nearly 18% of a middle-income family’s earnings goes towards managing the disease,and 80% of those families have no access to government subsidies or health insurance.” Tragically, over 35,860 people died from Type 1 diabetes in 2022 without ever receiving a diagnosis. The need for projects like hers is urgent.
Since it started, Project Surya has reached over 402,000 people and directly helped 3,190 children living with disease. The organization raised more than ₹20 lakh through grants,partnerships,and grassroots fundraising. So far, they’ve donated 4,500 insulin vials,2,500 glucose monitoring strips, and 1,000 insulin syringes to families in need .
Along with providing medical supplies,Project Surya has trained over 200 ASHA health workers to raise awareness about diabetes in rural areas,reaching about 49,500 villagers . They’ve also conducted more than 1,020 glucose screenings through free health camps over the past four years.
Divaa and her team have showcased their work at important venues like the United Nations Headquarters in New York and forums hosted by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization. Currently, Project Surya has chapters in cities like Bangalore,New Delhi, Varanasi, and Mumbai, as well as internationally in U.S.,Canada, Morocco,the UAE,and Nigeria, supported by over 120 volunteers and 35 high school students.
Her work hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, she received the Diana Award from the British Royal Family and was named a Top 10 Global Finalist for Chegg.org Global Student Prize, chosen from 11,000 applicants across 140 countries. She also received the World Sustainability Award in Amsterdam in 2024, recognized as one of five individuals in the youth social category.
